François Lesage | Source: Simple Virtues

‘Big O’ Birthdays for Generations of Designers (IHT)
“The loss last week of François Lesage, the beating heart of Parisian embroidery, at age 82, marks fashion history. A mighty tree in the landscape of haute couture has fallen… Fashion has a way of holding up a mirror to the wider world. But in the fading days of 2011, the bellwether is not about changes in style. It’s about designers themselves and a seismic generational shift.”

Hermès sees 10 percent growth in 2012 (Reuters)
“French luxury goods group Hermès expects sales growth of 10 percent next year, with trends in the current quarter broadly in line with the rest of the year… Last month, Hermès raised its full-year sales forecast to between 15 and 16 percent, reflecting strong demand in Asia, Europe and America, up from a previous forecast of 12 to 14 percent.”

‘Cyber Week’ Sets New Record With $6 Billion Take (Mashable)
“Online sales for the so-called “Cyber Week” that ended on on Dec. 2 were just shy of $6 billion, setting a record, according to comScore. With an estimated $1.25 billion take, Cyber Monday 2011, Nov. 28, was only the second billion-dollar day for online U.S. sales in history, following the equivalent day in 2010.”

China’s answer to Prada? (Telegraph)
“Just as Western luxury brands colonise and coin it in China, it is inevitable that Chinese companies will want to do the same right back. While some might currently be lacking in savoir faire , what those with big ambitions won’t lack is money; Beijing and Shanghai are packed with newly minted billionaires looking for glamorous investment opportunities.”

What Women Want: Jonathan Saunders (Independent)
“Saunders is nothing if not serious about his work – so much is evident in his sliced and precise patterns, a signature lightness that never becomes frothy, and his attention to detail. But he also speaks about the clothes he makes with a businesslike sense of creating merchandise – a hangover from his original line of work in product design.”

Federico Marchetti | Source: Fastcodesign

Net prophet (AFR)
“In 2000, Federico Marchetti, who was born in a small town below Venice on Italy’s Adriatic coast… Launched an innovative e-commerce business that has made him an industry titan. The planning that led up to the launch and what has happened since surely distinguish Marchetti as the ultimate ‘zagger’.”

The Beating Heart of Fashion (WSJ)
“Even if you don’t follow fashion, a stylist has indirectly influenced what you have on right now, informing your sartorial ideas on everything from power dressing to pastel romance. Grand, whose clients range from high fashion to mass market, is at the top of the pyramid.”

Why Jonathan Saunders is the designer of the moment (Guardian)
“Saunders has been on the London fashion week scene for eight years but it’s only been in the last year that his label has really cranked up a gear. So what changed? ‘Creatively I feel more confident,’ he admits. ‘I come from a textiles background with quite a niche brand image, but through experience I’ve learned to expand. The collection now has more separates and is less dress focussed, so it feels like there’s more of what women actually want to wear.’”

Traditional, ancient accents at China Fashion Week (Reuters)
“Haute couture mixing traditional Chinese touches and styles from more than 1,000 years ago with Western designs opened China Fashion Week, as the world’s fastest-growing market for luxury products catches the eyes of more designers. Models showed off a wide range of long gowns in bright colours, some featuring traditional Chinese embroidery and replicas of attire from the Tang Dynasty, AD 618 to AD 907, from NE TIGER.”

Talley Prepares Museum Exhibition (On the Runway)
“‘Walls are being painted, all of the dresses are basically in place,’ said André Leon Talley, on the phone from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he was putting the finishing touches on the first exhibition in the André Leon Talley Gallery in the school’s new museum of art.”

Tommy Hilfiger | Source: Badische Zeitung

Tommy Hilfiger Dreams of Limitless Horizons (IHT)
“‘We are really living the American dream,’ Mr. Hilfiger said, ‘to be a successful brand in the States and in Europe and to steep ourselves in our heritage. But we do it with a sense of humor. We don’t take ourselves too seriously in fashion.’”

‘Cyber Monday’ Sales Show Strength (WSJ)
“Online retailers experienced a sales surge Monday, capping off a holiday shopping week in which more Americans than ever decided to skip the mall and buy on the Web. Early estimates indicated overall sales gains of about 20% from a year earlier for ‘Cyber Monday.’”

Saunders For Escada (Vogue UK)
“Jonathan Saunders has been enlisted by Escada to create a collection for its Escada Sport label. The Scottish designer will present the 20-piece offering as part of the label’s 2010 resort collection in London and Paris next June.”

Primark store sets new sales record (Independent)
“The discount fashion chain Primark achieved record takings of more than £820,000 at its flagship store in the West End of London on Saturday. The best one-day performance of any Primark shop in its 41-year history.”

Anna Sui’s new book (Telegraph)
“Sui’s anniversary book, featuring Christy Turlington, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, is a walk down memory lane for the boho-chic designer.”

Shanghai Tang iPhone App | Source: Shanghai Tang

Connecting Digitally With Chinese Consumers (Jing Daily)
“In recent years, as Chinese luxury consumers have gotten younger and more sophisticated, and the marketplace has become more crowded, digital outreach in China has become critical for major global luxury brands.”

Italian menswear gets young, bold and beautiful (Reuters)
“Designers shrugged off the global economic slump at Milan’s menswear fashion week, opting for bold, impeccable suits to woo demanding buyers keen on wearing something more than once.”

Shape Shifters That Mutate With You (NY Times)
“‘Modern’ is a term so routinely invoked in fashion-speak that it lost its meaning long ago. But without quite intending it, JNBY, a new loftlike boutique in SoHo, has revitalized that concept, lending ‘modern’ a near-prophetic ring.”

Ferlisi For McQ (Vogue.com)
“Pina Ferlisi has been named creative director of Alexander McQueen’s diffusion line McQ. Ferlisi will reportedly work under the newly appointed Sarah Burton.”

Scottish Fashion Awards (Telegraph)
“Jonathan Saunders was named the Scottish Designer of the Year… while Holly Fulton, the young Royal College of Art graduate, whose jewellery-and-architecture inspired designs have won praise from Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, was named the Young Designer of the Year.”